After three years of waiting, freshman goaltender Stephen Peck finally took the ice in a Wolverines uniform.
Peck has been committed to the No. 1 Michigan hockey team since 2023, but it’s taken until 2026 for him to finally play a game. In an exhibition game victory against the U.S. National Talent Development Program, Peck showcased the talent that led Michigan to sign him years ago.
Peck’s situation is a difficult one. With the departure of former Wolverines goaltender Cameron Korpi to Union in the offseason, it looked like there might be an opportunity for Peck to take the net, particularly after winning the Clark Cup with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks last May. Ultimately, though, Michigan brought in freshman goaltender Jack Ivankovic, who has played every game this season, and Peck serves as the primary backup.
“Stephen Peck’s a good goalie,” Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said. “He plays behind a great goalie.”
On Saturday, Peck finally got his chance in the net in Michigan’s annual exhibition game against the USNTDP. The Wolverines often schedule this game to coincide with when many of their players are playing internationally at the World Junior Championship, meaning that they are often shorthanded. This gives players who don’t typically see the ice a chance to put on the Michigan sweater and play for their school — even if it is only an exhibition game, meaning that the stats do not count for their season totals. For Peck, it was exhilarating to finally play for the school he’s been committed to for so long.
“It was a lot of fun,” Peck said. “Just grateful the guys went to war with me. Just had a lot of fun out there, regardless of the score, and just glad we got it done today and just put it behind us.”
It wasn’t the cleanest victory. Peck allowed five goals on 28 shots, ending the day with a .828 save percentage. But as senior forward Josh Eernisse acknowledged, several of the goals were the result of poor defense from Michigan’s skaters that put the freshman goaltender in difficult positions. NTDP forward Sammy Nelson’s second goal was the result of a 2-on-0 breakaway — nearly impossible to stop. Ultimately, Peck looked poised and calm in the crease, flashing the leather on a few occasions to stop flying pucks
“There were times where we might have not helped him out, but he really bailed us out, and he’s a big part of the reason that we were able to win tonight,” Eernisse said. “He just played really well. And we’ve seen that all year in practice, and he’s a guy that can step in for us, and I think make a difference.”
Eernisse said he and Peck spend a lot of time together as Peck often stays late to tend the net for Eernisse to practice more. The two create competitions out of tipping drills, with Eernisse winning if he scores twice and Peck winning if he makes eight saves.
“He’s a great guy,” Eernisse said. “He’s always competing, playing hard … we’ll finish up and he’ll do a couple of more guys and then he’s in the other end doing breakaways. He’s just a competitor. I think that that speaks a lot about who he is, and I think he can make a big difference for us down the stretch here, especially when he needs to step into games for us.”
Despite not getting much time in the spotlight, Peck made the most of it on Saturday, demonstrating why he is a very reliable backup option for Michigan this season.
